What Is an Internal Link?
Every time you link from one page of your website to another page on the same domain, you create an internal link. The HTML looks identical to any other anchor tag — the distinction is purely about the destination URL sharing the same root domain as the source page.
Internal links differ from external links (which leave your site) and backlinks (which arrive from other sites). They are fully under your control, which makes them one of the most actionable levers in technical SEO. You can add, remove, or modify them at any time without depending on third-party cooperation.
- A navigation menu linking to your main categories is a set of internal links
- A "Related articles" block at the bottom of a blog post contains internal links
- In-content anchor text that references another page on your site is an internal link
How Internal Links Affect SEO
Search engines discover new pages primarily by following links. If a page has no internal links pointing to it, crawlers may never find it — no matter how valuable its content. Internal links are therefore critical for ensuring every page on your site gets crawled and indexed.
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See your internal link equity in 30 seconds →Beyond discoverability, internal links distribute PageRank. Each page has a certain amount of ranking authority, and outgoing links share that authority with destination pages. By pointing links toward your highest-priority pages, you concentrate authority where it matters most. Pages receiving more internal links tend to rank better, all else being equal.
- Internal links enable Googlebot to discover and crawl new or updated content faster
- Pages receiving more inbound internal links accumulate more PageRank
- Anchor text in internal links reinforces topical relevance signals for the destination page
How to Measure Internal Links
The most common approach is to run a site crawl with a tool like Screaming Frog, which produces an All Inlinks export listing every source/target pair across your site. Upload this file to LinkJuice and you get a complete directed graph showing exactly how many inbound and outbound links every URL has.
Pay attention to pages with zero or one inbound internal links — these are structurally fragile and unlikely to accumulate meaningful PageRank. Pages with hundreds of inbound links may be receiving more than they need, leaving other valuable pages under-linked.
- Export All Inlinks from Screaming Frog, then analyze in LinkJuice
- Pages with 0 inbound links are orphans — they cannot be crawled through your link graph
- Look for high-value pages with fewer than 3 inbound internal links as quick-win targets
How to Improve Your Internal Link Structure
Start with orphan pages — any URL with zero inbound internal links. Find the most relevant existing page on your site and add a contextual link pointing to the orphan. Even one well-placed internal link can transform an invisible page into a crawlable, rankable asset.
Next, look at your highest-authority pages (usually the homepage and top-level category pages) and audit where they send their link equity. If they link to low-priority pages excessively, you are diluting authority that could be directed toward high-value conversion or ranking targets instead.
- Fix orphan pages first — they have the highest upside per link added
- Use descriptive, keyword-relevant anchor text to reinforce topical signals
- Avoid excessive links per page — each additional link dilutes the equity passed per link
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Find your site's weakest links before Google does →Frequently Asked Questions
- What is an internal link in SEO?
- An internal link is any hyperlink connecting two pages on the same domain. Search engines follow these links to discover content, understand site structure, and distribute ranking authority (PageRank) across pages.
- How many internal links should a page have?
- There is no universal limit. Google has historically suggested keeping internal links to a reasonable number per page — typically under 100 — but quality and relevance matter more than quantity. Each link should add navigational or contextual value.
- Do internal links pass PageRank?
- Yes. Internal dofollow links pass a portion of the linking page's PageRank to the destination. The amount passed is divided among all outgoing links, so pages with fewer outbound links pass more equity per link.
- How can I find pages with no internal links pointing to them?
- Upload your Screaming Frog All Inlinks export to LinkJuice. The tool identifies every URL with zero inbound internal links — these are your orphan pages — and lists them for immediate action.
Analyze Your Internal Links Free
Upload your Screaming Frog CSV and see exactly which pages receive too few internal links — and which ones are wasting the equity they pass.
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